Preppy Puppies

Contest Alert!

2012-01-02T18:24:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!!

And how better to ring in the new year than to get a new collar for your Preppy Pup?!?! To enter post a picture of your Preppy Puppy on Preppy Puppies fan page on Facebook.

For extra entries...

Extra Entry #1 "Follow" my blog, www.preppypuppies.blogspot.com

Extra Entry #2 Post something about the blog on facebook and tag Preppy Puppies

Extra Entry #3 Comment on this blog post

(Extra Entries 2 & 3 are limited to one entry per day)

The contest will close on MLK day. At that time all entries will be tallied and a winner will be picked using Random.org

Good Luck!

Santa Lab

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Who says a Mid-Atlantic Fall is beautiful?!?

2011-11-04T21:12:00.000-04:00

A couple weekends ago I had a wedding event and lacrosse practice free day...so the dogs and I went to Rockville Creek Park for a nice hike in the fall foliage.

The sun was a beautiful golden color so the pictures were really warm and gorgeous. The dogs had been stuck inside for a couple of days so it was a challenge to keep them from running all around and sit still for pictures.

But eventually I picked up a leaf and made some crunchy sounds that interested them long enough for me to snap a quick sister pic.

All in all it was a great fall day. While a New England fall might be more beautiful...I can be outside longer in the Mid-Atlantic!!

Tripper Visit

2011-10-02T21:08:00.001-04:00

Now that Mike and I are finally settled in our new place in Maryland, I just now got around to downloading pictures from the summer. And obviously the best pictures are from my visit with Tripper and his new family the Clarks. But before we get to that I should fill you in on our summer.

After moving out of our spacious (free) 4 bedroom house at Salisbury (oh the perks of working at a boarding school!) we moved in with my parents for a couple of months to help save a couple of bucks. While we were very excited to move the bills that come with renting were not so exciting. So we moved in with the rents and pups Riley and Maya.

Most of July was spent playing lacrosse and visiting family and friends. The end of July and beginning of August started a very crazy and eventful month for us. We moved into our new apartment outside of DC. Thankfully we hired movers because unpacking our two Pods and lugging all of out stuff into the house ended up being a six hour job for six strong men. But then the next day Mike and I had to rent a truck and repack all of the stuff that didn't fit into our tiny apartment.

After a week of unpacking and getting settled I was happy for a well placed trip to attend one of my best friend's bridal shower in CT.

But before spending some well needed time with my UConn girls I got to visit Tripper!!

The Clark Family was nice enough to host me for the day and let me visit with my favorite Guide Dog. They video taped our hello and it was super cute...he might have made my lip bleed from kissing me too hard...but it was worth it.

After spending some time in the back yard we went to a local park to let him swim a little. Tripper and I went in my car to spend a little alone time. It was clear that he hasn't been on our kind of car ride in a while.

As soon as Tripper jumped in the car he frantically inhaled all of the smells of his long lost sisters. Then he just sort of sat there not sure what to do. Until he finally remembered about the window...

and the joy of sticking his head out of it.

I forgot to bring my camera swimmies but needless to say he was pooped after.

It was so great to see my big man. Mike and I are really thankful that he's happy with the Clark Family and they are taking such good care of him. He'll be going in for his training pretty soon and then he'll be on the final stages to becoming a real Guide Dog.

Best Treats...EVER

2011-08-06T21:25:00.001-04:00

Rocky and I are taking agility from Branchwater Border Collies outside of Baltimore. This is actually the place that Rocky's Mom and Dad were bread so it's pretty cool. But the class we're taking is intermediate agility, and after the first class (video below) Rocky and I learned more that our 8 week class in CT.

The other dogs in Rocky's class are another border collie, a boxer and a poodle. Now of course I think Rocky is the best but really...she's the best! She just loves it so freakin' much. If you turn your volume up on your computer you can hear her bark as she goes around the course, it's pretty cute. Aside from her crazy drive one thing that really helps motivate her to work are Natural Balance treats.

They are kind of weird looking...you can find them in the food section of any Petco in the tube pictured above. They come in turkey, lamb and beef. I usually get the 4lb log (the larger one) and cut up the whole thing into little nuggets...or you can use a grater.

The only down side is that once you open the treats they need to be either refrigerated or frozen. Gross I know dog stuff in your frig, but after you've kept raw meat in the fridge (like we did for Tripper) this is nothing. And the great thing is that we keep most of it in a large gallon zip lock bag and pull out only what we need for the day, they thaw super quick.

So if you're looking for a treat your dog will drool over...check out Natural Balance. It works for Rocky and she's a super picky eater!

Tripper Update

2011-07-20T10:20:00.002-04:00

Tripper is all settled in to his new home in Southington, CT with the Clark Family, including dog siblings, Buddy (the golden) and Panda (the Pom). The Clark Family has been so amazing send us updates and stories about their time with Tripper.

Tripper has really taken to the kids, Amanda (who took all of these great pictures) and Matt, pictured above. They have enjoyed teaching Tripper the game of badmiton, where Tripper tries to steal the birdie! But they have found out that he doesn't like the grass being cut...something we didn't have to do at Salisbury. He saw the grass being cut, but by big riding mowers. The Clarks have a had mower and he tries to bit the tires...so now he has to stay inside when they cut the lawn.

There hasn't been a class that they've been to yet, but a group walk is coming up soon, so I'll be interested to see how he does. But so far he's been perfect for them...or at least that's what they say! He's probably shedding like crazy now with all of the heat. His new house-mates, Buddy and Panda were sent to the groomers for baths and haircuts...and when they came back Tripper barked at them! He's such a baby!!

It sounds like Tripper is doing well with the adjustment. I hope he still misses us because we miss him and talk about him every day. Casey particularly misses him, although Riley has been a good temporary replacement. Rocky...I'm not so sure how she feels. I think she might be happy to have her mommy back to her self.

If you didn't hear this story already...it might make you teary eyed so be prepared...

Last week Casey, Rocky, Mike and I were walking along the Delaware River toe path when we saw a person with a dog coming down the path. Obviously we did not have them on a leash so we needed to call them back to us so they didn't bother the dog if it wasn't friendly. Well as the dog came closer...Casey started crying louder and louder. Now Casey loves other dogs and often cries to play with them...but this was like nothing we had ever heard. As they came within 50 yards of us Mike and I could see that the dog was a Shepard. Mike held the dogs while I approached the man, asking if his dog was friendly, explaining that our dogs are very friendly but I think they think your dog is an old dog of ours...Tripper. When we let Casey go she ran as fast as I've ever seen her run straight up to the dog, before she put her breaks on about 5 yards away (when I'm assuming she saw it wasn't Tripper) she stopped dead in her tracks, turned around and came back to us.

It was so sad.

On a bright note, I'm going to be able to see Tripper in August!!! One of my best friends Tori is having her bridal shower in CT so I'm going to go up early and visit with some friends...and Tripper!! I honestly can't wait. But until then I'll continue to look forward to the wonderful updates from the Clark family.

And the Winner is...

2011-07-06T15:34:00.001-04:00

Wow over 150 fans!! Since so many people entered the contest I thought we should give away TWO free collars. So congratulations to Jackie Brittain and Emily Snipes!! Keep an eye out for more contests in August!

Preppy Puppy Contest

2011-06-27T18:45:00.003-04:00

Help Preppy Puppies Facebook Page Reach 100 fans and win a free Preppy Puppies Collar of Your Choice!

To enter...all you have to do is "like" Preppy Puppies fan page on Facebook!

For extra entries...

Extra Entry #1 "Follow" my blog, www.preppypuppies.blogspot.com

Extra Entry #2 Post something about your favorite collar on facebook and tag Preppy Puppies

Extra Entry #3 Post something about the blog on facebook and tag Preppy Puppies

Extra Entry #4 Comment on a blog post (any post will do)

(Extra Entries 2-4 are limited to one entry per day)

The contest will close when the Preppy Puppies fan page reaches 100 fans. At that time all entries will be tallied and a winner will be picked using Random.org

Good Luck!

Tripper Check In

2011-06-26T17:39:00.001-04:00

It's been two weeks since we've said good bye to Tripper. Luckily for us the past two weeks have been full of packing, moving, weddings, conventions and lacrosse tournaments...so there hasn't been too much time to think about how much we miss Trippy.

Thankfully the Clark family has been amazing on keeping us up to date with how he's doing and what they're up to. They had to give away their Fidelco dog Samson, so they understand how hard saying goodbye was. They have two teenage children, Mathew and Amanda who have already bonded with Tripper and introduced them to their own pets...Buddy, a golden, Panda, a Pomeranian and their bird.

We we first met the Clarks Amanda asked me if I thought Tripper would eat the bird. I was hesitant as I know Tripper is very trainable and would never mean to hurt anything...but I said yes, if the bird flew right past him I think he could try and take a chunk out of it. Needless to say they have been introducing the bird slowly. Tripper was afraid at first (shocker) but now is getting better, mostly barking at it. I suggested to Eva (the mom) to feed Tripper near the cage to help get him used to the bird, she says he's been getting better.

Now that school is out everyone is home for the summer...a great time to transition Tripper to a new home. The kids have been playing with him a lot in the back yard...thought no lacrosse, he's been playing soccer and chasing the badminton birdie around like crazy.

He's been doing a good job of leaving Buddy alone...I think he probably likes getting so much attention in his new home. Without Rocky around he probably runs the show over there....although Panda isn't shy to put him in his place either!

The Clarks say that training wise he's been really good for them. They've taken him so many places already, flea markets, shopping and everywhere else with them. Mike and I are so thankful he's adjusted well and is enjoying his new family.

Even among all the ciaos of the past two weeks, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him and miss him. Sometimes it's when I wake up and reach my hand down off the bed expecting to receive a kiss, or even when I go to the grocery store dog-less...he was really apart of every second of my day and I truly miss him.

Aside from Tripper we of course miss our family best friends Maya and Tarra. Later this week they will finish packing their bags for the long drive to St. Louis. Though it will be easier to get updates from them, our time in Connecticut would not have been the same without the Rawdon's or Tripper.

Preppy Photo Shoot

2011-06-15T15:00:00.001-04:00

To see more photos from this photo shoot check out the Preppy Puppies Facebook page.

Tripper's Last Week

2011-06-11T15:34:00.001-04:00

This post is going to be short and sweet. The McCormick Family has been going nuts for the past two weeks trying to get everything in order before we leave Salisbury. There was Salisbury Graduation (a tearful goodbye to all of the students but especially the seniors) followed by the faculty party where my boss and Mike's boss (who are married and their two cute little girls were the flower girls in our wedding) almost brought me tears on three different occasions...but now there is Reunion (like right now). I've snuck away for a minute to try to wrap up everything here in the office, but got tears in my eyes when I had to break down Tripper's cage.

Tomorrow we meet up with the Clark family who will take Tripper. We have already met them once, they have two teenage children, an older Golden Retriever and a little dog (Pomeranian I think). Tripper was very nice to the Golden and understood that he was too young to rough house with...and the kids will be a nice addition to playmates.

We asked Tarra to take the pictures above so we could make sure we remembered our last days with Tripper. I'll post more later when I have more time. But I just wanted everything to be thinking about us tomorrow as we make the drive to Winstead, CT and say goodbye to Tripper for the final time. If you're getting teary eyed reading this...know that I started crying when I started typing. I'll miss him so much...and will be waiting patiently for the day he retires as a Guide Dog.

It's Official

2011-05-17T15:28:00.001-04:00

We're Maryland bound!! Though this is no excuse to ignore the blog as much as I have over the past month or so but I've been busy job searching and interviewing. As many of you know I am from Baltimore, MD and left Charm City 8 years ago when I accepted a lacrosse scholarship to play lacrosse at the University of Connecticut....long story short, although CT has been great to me...so many friends, two degrees and a husband later I'm super ready to return to my roots.

I have been fortunate enough to be offered a position as a Physical Education teacher and head varsity lacrosse coach at Holton Arms School in Bethesda, MD. I am super excited to not have to sit at a desk everyday and can't wait to play with little mini's (aka kids) all day. Plus what can be better than being a head lax coach in Maryland!!The sad news is that I'm going to have to leave the girls at Hotchkiss School where I coach now. And PS we're having an unbelievable season...and are ranked 3rd in New England!

More sad news... we'll be leaving our best friend(s) Tarra and Maya. Although they are moving too so at least we'll be able to visit them in their new home...I've never actually traveled to the mid-west so now we have a great reason to.

And the last of the bad news is that we are going to have to give Tripper up before we leave the state. I only received this news last night...and yes I cried. I always knew we'd have to give him up...but I'm not ready yet. Fidelco promised that they would find a great Foster Family to keep Tripper until he is ready for his formal training....but still super sad.

If you haven't checked out my facebook page yet, be sure to "like" Preppy Puppies. http://www.facebook.com/preppypuppies

Preppy Puppies

2011-05-15T22:27:00.001-04:00

Check Casey out in the newest Preppy Puppy limited edition collar "Zoey". Depending on where you live you're probably already through spring and ready for summer...but here in the northwest corner of CT...we're still waiting for spring. So Casey and I decided to get ready for summer with this adorable flip-flop collar.

I'm still working on a Preppy Puppies Web site where you can find the "Zoey" collar and a bunch more super cute collars for sale. But until then check out our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.223103364368942.67723.173858959293383#%21/pages/Preppy-Puppies/173858959293383and be sure to "like" us so you can get updates and special deals.

GSD

2011-04-12T20:28:00.001-04:00

I've never owed a German Shepard dog before. In my lifetime I've lived with a peak-a-cock-a-poo, mutt (probably lab cocker spaniel mix), beagle, golden retriever, toller, Australian Shepard, lab and border collie. And including all of the family and friends dogs...I've never even known anyone with a GSD.

So I wasn't 100% sure what to expect when we got Tripper. Obviously I read everything I could get my hands on. I knew how smart they were and how loyal and just like boarder collies, when a family fell in love with a GSD they were unlikely to pick another breed.

The other thing you should know is Mike has had plenty of experience with GSD's, his aunt and grandmother had one growing up. In fact he was attacked by both of them. He wasn't hurt but he has been cautious around GSD ever since (can't blame him.)

The point of this story is that Tripper gave me the biggest surprise this week. When I am dropping him off to Mike so I can go to lax practice, Mike is reporting that he is constantly looking for me and takes a while to settle. Now I know I spend more time with Tripper than I have with the other dogs that I have raised...but it's kind of crazy that he misses me that much when he's with Mike.

Anyway it was super cute and just makes me smile thinking about it. It's going to be SUPER hard to give him up, but knowing he'll love his next owner as much as me and will make that owner smile too...makes it that much easier to think about.

And just for fun, check out this really cute video of a cat playing with a dolphin. Talk about making you smile!!

Sorry It's Been So Long

2011-03-03T21:59:00.003-05:00

Volunteer @ Fidelco--Round Two

2011-02-15T20:00:00.003-05:00

So I brought another group to Fidelco Sunday...no puppies again. But I was SUPER proud of the boys who still wanted to come volunteer not knowing what they were going to get themselves into. As it turned out although they didn't play with puppies they got the next best things....doggies!

The group held a class working on all of the basic obedience skills the dogs need. I was really impressed, as most of the boys had very little dog experience. But as usual the Salisbury boys stepped up and shinned.

Tommy w/ Lilly

Keith w/ Charlie

JP and Jamie

Ben w/ Inga

More Tommy and Lilly

Kevin w/ Ziggy

Bruce w/ Solo

Joey w/ Abby

More of Ben

Keith & Charlie

JP and Jamie

Laura teaching body handling

Tom and Seda

More of Joey

Kevin again

Jay & Tripper

I was really proud of Tripper, he was in class with dogs that were twice his age and experience and he held his own. Jay did a wonderful job handling him and making sure he was paying attention to him and not me. Overall a great day!!!

Vote for Tripper of the Month

2011-02-14T16:00:00.001-05:00

Don't forget voting ends Tuesday, February 15!!!
Get your votes in by commenting below!

First Snow

Xmas in Bmore

Santa Tripper

Langdon Xmas

Tripper Tree

Smiling Tripper

Man Tripper

Close Up Tripper

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2011-02-13T21:34:00.001-05:00

To help the Funk (yes funk deserves a capitol F...as it is that disruptive to my life)...anyway to help get out of the Funk, my friend Nattalie (the one with the weimie) suggested that Tarra and I take our combined 5 dogs on a walks on the Millerton bike trail.

So after stopping at Irving Farm and getting a cup of sinful delight coffee (coffee infused with chocolate and caramel...ridiculous right?!?!) we headed down the Millerton trail. If you want a good laugh image me trying to get Casey, Rocky and Tripper across rt. 44 (the northwest corner's equivalent of a major highway) with only one leash. It was pretty hysterical...not to mention probably dangerous.

But the dogs had a great time just running around, chasing each other and knocking us over. The three of us looked like a bunch of drunks...every third step we would fall through the snow and stumble over...good thing no one was around!

The highlight of the morning was when all of the dogs decided to fight over one stick...branch....or I guess small sapling. Either way...there was enough room for everyone to grab a piece and pull. Natt got it on film which is awesome since they were all making sounds that should probably never come out of any dog.

It was a great way to spend a Sunday and start the week.

February Funk

2011-02-12T22:37:00.001-05:00

So I've been in kind of a funk recently. I'm not sure if it is because I'm really not a cold weather person and yet I've been living in Connecticut for the past 8 years and of course this year it snows about every other day?? Or maybe it's because it's the middle of February and football is over and baseball hasn't started...not that I care very much (especially about baseball) but with neither on I find Mike at a loss. Or maybe still because I decided to do the Salisbury Musical (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) which has been fun...but leaving me very little time to do much else.

Whatever the reason I just can't shake the Funk.

Hopefully though my next couple of weeks will just shake the funk right out of me. This past Friday was a good start. Mike and I went on our first date since (now this is a little embarrassing) AUGUST!!! I mean we've have date nights at home...but this was the first time we've been out to eat, just the two of use since we celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary. But it was a lovely evening filled with the chili cook off, Salisbury Ski Jumps and dinner at the Woodlands. The evening almost took a turn for the worst when we came home to a panicked student who cut his hand by accident. Luckily no trip to the hospital was necessary as Mike was able to stop the bleeding and settle him down...phew!

This week, aside from being Valentine's Day is my sister's birthday ( the 16th) and Mike's sister's birthday (the 19th). And thanks to a great idea from my mom back in November I'll be able to celebrate my sister's birthday for the first time in 8 years (I'm flying home to Maryland on Thursday!!) Unfortunately that will mean I'll have to miss Ashley's birthday and her first in season play day at Yale (she's a laxer). And after an exciting trip trip to MD I can start counting down the days until my UConn friends come to visit the following weekend!!

I guess by the end of February there will just be no more room in my life for any funk...and besides March marks the start of lax season!!

On the dog side of my world...I'll be bringing another group of Salisbury kids to Fidelco tomorrow. A smaller group this time (not that there wasn't a ton of boys who wanted to go...we just couldn't get a bigger vehicle) Who knows what we'll be doing or how we'll be helping but I'm sure the boys will love it!

Oh yeah, Tripper has his second class on Friday. I wish I could report that he did better than his first day...but no such luck. The student who had him needed to bring him back to me half way through the class. I asked him what was going on and he said he thought Tripper didn't want to be in class, he was sighing and figitity...maybe nervous. I asked the boy if maybe he was a little nervous to have Tripper in class with him. He admitted that he was.

So I took out some string cheese and had the boy and Tripper do a couple different fun exercises...touches and puppy push-ups (asking the dog to sit then down then sit one right after the other...try it) After they were both feeling much more confident I asked the boy if he wanted to try again and take Tripper back to class. He said he did and off they went.

After the period was over the boy returned Tripper to my office. When I asked how it went this time, he responded by saying...perfect. He explained that he was very nervous and figitity and a little unsure about what to do with Tripper, nervous he was being mean or not stern enough. He concluded on his own that after he did the exercises with me half way through class he felt much more confident and secure and perhaps Tripper could tell.

I agreed with the boy explaining how dogs feed off of our energy and can read us sometimes better than we can read ourselves. I was really happy the boy decided to try again with Tripper, and had a much better experience. It is going to be a slow process but one I think will be really beneficial for Tripper...and the boys.

Just for fun here is an old video of when Rocky was Tripper's age, playing with Mike's parents' dog Trixie. See Rocky use to play nice with dogs.

First Day of School

2011-02-10T21:20:00.001-05:00

Today was Tripper's first day going with the boys to class. Our advisee Jay had the first go around. I kind of felt bad because Mike usually plays with Tripper at 11, and Jay took him to class at 10. Jay reported back that Tripper was a little figity but overall really well behaved. Not bad for his first day. So for his reward he not only got to play with Mike, but I gave him the afternoon off. Tomorrow he has another class, but this time in the afternoon (thank goodness!)

So as part of the afternoon off...we had a photo shoot!!

Snowy Hilltop

2011-02-08T15:09:00.001-05:00

Today Tripper and I took a break from working and went to enjoy some snow outside. The snow had just stopped falling and the sun was out. Here is a glimpse of some of the good ones. Enjoy!!

Snow Snow and more Snow!!!

2011-01-30T22:46:00.001-05:00

Today the McCormick family went to play in the snow. After a long weekend including a ton of games, a surprise party (sorry I missed it Hilary) and an engagement (congrats Emily + Mike!!!) the McCormicks just need to get out and have some fun!

Of course the excitement of a long weekend has left me at 10:30 thinking that it's an hour pass my bed time. So for now enjoy these pictures.

Be sure to check out these icicles on the house...

Volunteering @ Fidelco--in detail

2011-01-27T22:10:00.001-05:00

So I know that I'm late with my update...typical. But I wanted to share the other photos that I have and share with you what the group did while we were there. We ended up having a smaller group than we intended but we made it there (and back) with 9 boys. The group split up into two and rotated cleaning vans.

These are pretty cool vans loaded with double decker crates for the dogs to chill in while the others do their training. But they get really dirty and the boys did a great job cleaning them up!!

Four boys got a chance to wash dogs, above Will and Harrison are washing Jamie. After brushing, bathing and blow drying Jamie they bonded over a nice towel dry. Below Nick and Collin do the same for another pup (I can't seem to remember who).

While one group was cleaning vans and washing dogs the other was working on some training exercises with some "career change" dogs.

Collin w/ breed dog Charlie

Ethan w/ Sophie

Steven w/ Ziggy

Laura demonstrating body handling onYukie

Mike w/ Jesse

Nick w/ Yukie

Nick w/ Sophie

Harrison w/ Jesse

Harry w/ Ziggy

It was a bummer that we could play with the puppies but with the first litter of 2011 being born two days earlier we were just out of luck. Luckily the boys were ok with the last minute change and ended up having a great time and really helping out. We'll be heading back there two more times before March break so we'll see how everything goes!!

Volunteer @ Fidelco

2011-01-24T01:30:00.001-05:00

Today a small group of students went to Fidelco to volunteer for the afternoon. I'll write more about it tomorrow but I just wanted to post a couple pictures for you to enjoy tonight!

Now off to bed!

And the winner is....

2011-01-23T22:04:00.001-05:00

Stylish Tripper!!! Be sure to vote for December's Tripper of the month!!